Automatic nailing machines



July 9, 1963 D. J'. AJOUELO 3,096,522

AUTOMATIC NAILING MACHINES Filed June 2'7, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

DAWS J.- AJOUELO BY/QW JJA/ ATTORNEY July 9, 1963 D. J. AJOUELO AUTOMATIC NAILING mcamss 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 27, 1961 FIG: 5 INVENTOR. w DAVIS JAJvZZL/O 3 41 7 OZNEY y 1963 o. J. AJOUELO 3,096,522

AUTOMATIC NAILING MACHINES Filed June 27, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 F f G. 7

INVENTOR. DAT Y5 J AJO UELO ATTOJP' 'Y y 1963 D. J. AJOUELO 3,096,522

AUTOMATIC NAILING MACHINES Filed June 27, 1961 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 1 L55 /6 l I INVENTOR.

DAVIS J AJOU Z0 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,096,522 AUTOMATIC NAILING MACHINES Davis J. Ajouelo, Atlanta, Ga., assignor of fifty percent to Petty Bregman and twenty-five percent to Jack Hazan, both of Atlanta, Ga.

Filed June 27, 1961, Ser. No. 119,880 8 Claims. (Cl. 129) This invention relates to an automatic nailing machine and particularly to a machine of that sort which is adapted to supply different sizes of nails selectively on the same machine supplied from continuous rolls of wire and to cut and drive individual nails from said continuous wire into the heel-s of shoes and the like.

It is well known in the art of automatic nailing machines to supply a continuous wire and to cut same into individual nails which are automatically driven and clinched in place. Such machines are now in use extensively in shoe rebuilding. At this time, such machines are limited to the use of one gauge or size of wire which is not always suitable for every job. For example, there are so many diiferent sizes of heels, especially womens spike heels, at this time, that larger size nails or wires cannot be applied to some of the smaller size heels without splitting or damaging them. It is extremely difiicult for the shoe repairman to change his entire machine and to feed a separate wire from a separate coil into the machine just to repair a particular smaller size even if he had such a Wire size available. In addition, existing machines for advancing, holding, positioning, cutting and driving the nails are not satisfactory from the standpoint of accuracy and for other reasons nor are the mechanisms on the machines which hold and position the heels and clinch the nails in place satisfactory.

The present invention provides a multiple automatic nailing machine in the form of a turret arrangement whereby any one of several coils and sizes of wire may be shifted into position instantaneously and selectively ac cording to the particular application of the wire.

The present machine also provides a novel holding device of diiferent sizes selectively operable to assist in the positioning of a shoe and in the driving and clinching of a nail therein.

The instant machine also provides an improvement in the particular mechanism which advances a piece of continuous wire, holds same, cuts and drives same to hold lifts on the heel of the shoe.

Generally described, without restriction on the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims, the present machine is adapted to rest on a machine base standing or bolted to the ground and having an upstanding tool housing thereon in which there is suitable power drive mechanism transferring power to the upper portion of the housing. Mounted atop the housing for selective rotation thereon is a Wire frame support having a plurality of coil supports thereon each rotatably supporting a coil of wire preferably of different diameters. Projecting from the housing in the vicinity of and below the coils of wire is a drive member or central driver head which transmits power from the base of the machine in a re ciprocating manner selectively to drive a nail. Mounted on the tool housing beneath each of the respective coils of wire is a reciprocating wire cutting and nailing mechanism adapted to be selectively operated from the power drive member. Each coil of wire is a respective unit which is selectively shiftable into position depending upon the size of wire desired. Thus the coils .of wire are mounted in a form of turret head which is rotated to bring the particular coil of wire desired into position.

The wire feeding, cutting, and driving mechanism itself is adapted to be contained within a tool housing of cy- 3,095,522 Patented July 9, 1963' lindrical formation having an open bore therein in which operates a plunger mounted at the top and adapted to reciprocate longitudinally therein. The bottom of the plunger has a driving member thereon which is adapted to fit into a bore at the bottom thereof from which the nail is driven. Feeding substantially coaxially with the axis of the plunger is a continuous strand of nail-wire which is fed through an opening in the cylinder down between a pair of vertically aligned wire grasping jaws one of which is driven downwardly in response to the movement of a drive member attached to the reciprocating plunger. The jaws are arranged to grasp the wire tighter as the drive member moves the jaws downwardly with an increment of wire. Following this operation, the end of the wire is fed between a pair of movable cutting jaws one of which is operated by the bottom of the plunger member to cut the outermost portion of wire whereupon the wire driver member inserts the wire through the opening into the shoe heel located therebeneath.

Mounted on the housing beneath the driving and nailing mechanism is a clinch support having a novel shoe heel position member thereon comprising a disk-like device having a shaft retaining same for rotational movemen-t and being provided with a plurality of peripheral openings therein around the circumference of the disk providing apertures of different sizes in which different heel sizes may be inserted.

Operated in conjunction with the heel support and against the movement of the nail to clinch same is a nail clinching device mounted on a platform below the heel positioning member and comprising and reciprocating plunger driven by a power take-01f member from a rack drive device which reciprocates the plunger member against the interior of the shoe in synchronization with the driving of the nail to clinch same into place.

An object of this invention is to provide a shoe nailing machine which automatically drives nails one at a time from a continuous coil of wire.

A further object of this invention is to provide an automatic shoe nailing machine having a plurality of different sizes of continuous wire thereon for selective positioning to select the size of wire to be driven as a nail into the shoe heel.

A further object of this invention resides in the novel provision of a selective heel retaining or holding member having different shapes and formations thereon which may be selected according to the particular style and shape of the shoe heel being nailed thereby providing a better alignment and better nailing of the shoe heel customized according to the shape thereof.

A further object of this invention resides in the novel arrangement in the nail driving device comprising a recip rocating nail plunger cooperating with one or more jaws adapted to hold and advance a segment of wire from a continuous supply and to cut and drive same into place as the reciprocating shaft is driven in the direction of cutting and nailing and to return the shaft to normal position to again out and nail another segment.

An additional feature of this invention resides in the use in the automatic cutting and nailing device of a pair of aligned jaws through which the continuous wire is fed to advance and to hold said wire while it is being driven and cut.

Other and further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the machine of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view taken substantially along the lines 2-2 in FIG. 1, through the wire cutting and nailing head.

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view looking toward the right side of the head shown in FIG. 2 and with portions of the front removed to expose the interior jaws.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 4-4 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 55 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 6-6 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a substantially vertical cross-sectional view taken along the lines 7-7 in FIG. 1 through the post and the nail clinching device.

FIG. 8 is a top plan view of just the top turret plate of the machine in FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the turret support and lock pin collar devices shown in FIG. 7.

FIG. 10 is a front elevation view of the two jaw members with the movable jaw removed.

FIG. 11 is an exploded View of a jaw member as found in the device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 1212 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along lines 1313 in FIG. 7.

FIG. 14 is an elevation view of the inside face of the movable cutter with part thereof broken away.

FIG. 15 is an elevation view of the inside face of the stationary cutter with part thereof broken away.

The machine as a whole is designated generally by the reference 10 and comprises an upstanding machine base and housing 12, housing in the interior thereof suitable mechanism to be described throughout the specification and including a tubular post or housing 14 having a power drive member 16 therein adapted to reciprocate under power to drive a power drive member 18 reciprocating in a slot 20 in the housing 14.

Mounted on top of the housing 14 and seated in place about the drive shaft 16 for rotation thereabout is a turret including as a part thereof frame 22 comprising a heavy base plate 24 having supports 26 thereon (there being 3 in the present embodiment) on which are rotatably mounted a plurality of wire spool housings 28 having spools of wire rotatably mounted therein on removable knurled screws 30 and feeding said wire 32 outwardly from an opening 34 in the housing 28 and through a corresponding and respective wire opening 38 in the plate 24. The purpose of this in the present embodiment is to provide three different sizes of wire 32 which may vary from a large or heavy gauge wire to an extremely small, and perhaps very strong wire, as desired. This is to provide the machine operator with three different choices of wire sizes which he may adapt or use according to the particular formation and size of the shoe upon which he is working. For example, some of the very fragile womens shoes of present day construction will stand extremely fine and small wire which is suitable for placing lift on heels while it will be necessary to use much heavier and stronger wire in other types of shoes.

Mounted on the housing 14 and rigidly supported thereon to complete the turret 40 is a tool frame comprising opposed and vertically spaced plates 42-44 having positioned therein in alignment with and corresponding with these spools of wire in wire housings 28 a respective, complete cutting and nailing head unit 48 each adapted selectively in turn to be driven by the reciprocating movement of the drive member 18 engaging the head of a reciprocating drive plunger 50 in each of the heads 48 in the keyedslot 19 in the drive member 18.

A manually operated latching mechanism has a handle 13 mounted on a housing 11 to actuate a spring-biased pin 15 which may be pulled by grasping handle 13 against the action of the confined coil spring in the housing 11 to allow the turret frame 22 to rotate selectively to one of any of the selected positions determined by an opening formed at an appropriate location in plate 44.

Any means for making and driving nails may be used for units 48, including the one described in the following paragraphs.

Cutting and Nailing Heads Each of the cutting and nailing heads 48 is identical with the other and is shown in detail in FIGS. 2 through 6 as well as being shown in the other figures of the drawings.

A tubular steel tool housing 54 has an open vertical bore 56 therethrough in which is housed for reciprocating motion therein the drive plunger 50 that is dn'ven by the keyed contact with member 18. The drive member 50 is driven in a reciprocating motion by the action of the drive member 18 through the action of the keyed connection. Intermediate the length of the drive member 50 is a pivoted drive lever 60 mounted on a pivot 62 and having a serrated front drive portion 64 formed therein which is used to drive the movable jaw device holding the wire. A knurled adjustment screw 66 mounted in the bore of the tool housing 54 is adapted to be selectively positioned against the lever 60 to regulate the length of stroke and position of stroke thereof. The bottom of lever 60 will strike the bottom of the slot in 50 if it pivots too far.

Mounted on one side of the tool housing 54 inside of a cover plate 68 is a pair of spaced wire retaining jaw devices, upper jaw device 70 and lower jaw device 72 slidably associated with a space 74 therebetween and forming part of an elongated wire guide bore through which the wire 32 is fed down through the housing 54 and out of an inclined wire guide bore 78. Mounted on the bottom of housing 54 is a cutting mechanism comprising a stationary cutting jaw 82 and with an internal semi-circular knife and a movable cutting jaw 84 with an internal, semi-circular knife matching with the knife on jaw 82. A lever 86 is engaged by and driven by the bottom of plunger 50 as plunger 50 drives a small nail driving pin member 88 on the bottom thereof through the exit bore 90 in the movable jaw 84 on tool housing 54. The knife of movable cutter 86 is oscillated in a scissors-like fashion against the knife of stationary cutter 82 to snip the piece of wire prior to the driving member 88 reaching its maximum driving position in the base 90. A leaf spring 91 resists the movement of cutter 86 and returns same. As seen in FIG. 2, the plunger 50 is not quite retracted to its full upward position and the movable cutter 86 has its upper end in the path of the tapered end or nose of the plunger 50 which contacts the top of cutter 86 and moves same a small amount across the distance of the bore 90 enough to cut the wire that has been pushed therein. The cutter 86 remains in this position in contact with the length of plunger 50 outside surface until the plunger 50 moves out of contact. There are two openings in the stationary cutting jaw 82, one of which is the bore 78 and the other of which 83 is next thereto and is a continuation of the exit bore 90 when the cutter 84 is moved and held by the plunger 50. Stationary cutting jaw 82 has an opening 85 to receive therein a short shaft 87 on movable jaw 84; and on which shaft 87, the jaw 84 is rotated 21 small amount.

Jaw devices 70 and 72 act together and complement each other to pull the wire from a spool, receive the wire 32 and grasp same therein through the action of a pair of respective jaw members having movable jaws 94 therein which in cooperation with a fixed jaw 95 retain and hold the wire as the lower jaw device 72 moves downwardly carrying a length and increment of wire therewith. Movable jaws 94 are sloped on one side and match with a similar slope 96 formed on the block 97 on which the fixed jaws 96 are formed and in which movable jaws 94 are retained for movement. A coil spring 98 pushes jaws 94 against the slope 96. According to this construction the wire 32 is pulled through jaw 70 by jaw device 72 which is driven by the lever 60 serrated front 64 and the presence of jaw 94 of top device 70 against the wire 32 Each time the plunger 50 is driven, an increment of wire is delivered in the manner just described.

A-s plunger 50 reaches the bottom of its stroke, it contacts gradually the lever 86 and operates the cutter in the manner previously described.

Heel Positioning Device Mounted on the housing 14 intermediate the base 12 and the wire spools 28 is a shoe heel positioning device 100 attached in place on housing 14 by an adjustable collar 102 having a projecting lug 104 thereon on which is positioned a shoe heel retainer 106 which is a disc-like device pivotally mounted on a pivot 8 and having a plurality of different size and different shape shoe heel apertures 110 formed on the periphery thereof and which are adapted to be fitted to shoe heels of different shapes and sizes.

The shoe itself 120 is positioned on the nail clinching device 130 which comprises a nail clinching housing 132 of cylindrical formation and having positioned therein a reciprocating clinching plunger 134. The clinching device 130 does not per se form any part of the claimed invention in the instant application. There are many clinching devices in the art which are well known and any one of these may be used with the present machine and the clinching device 130 in FIGS. 7 and 13 is merely illustrative and diagrammatic. In my previous Patent No. 2,315,382 there is shown a clinching device actuated by a foot pedal 22, etc. and this or any other clinching devices, such as the one shown in T. Watkins et 'al., US. Patent No. 2,240,429, and any others, may be used in the instant machine.

The clinching device 130 is shown in more detail in FIGS. 7 and 13. As seen in FIG. 7, as the power drive member 18 moves downwardly to cause the cutting action in the heads 48, the clinching mechanism housing 136 is moved upwardly through the action of a lever 138 having a foot portion 140 returned by a heavy coil spring 142. Coil spring 142 is confined between a movable collar 143 held in place on shaft 16 by a set screw 145 and the top of the lever 138 which is pivotally connected to rod 16 by means of a pivot pin 149. The setting of coil spring 142 may be adjusted by moving the adjustable collar 143 by loosening and rmetting the adjustment screw 145 to adjust the pressure which affects the reciprocation of shaft 16 which returns the keyed drive member 18 to initial position. Housing 136 has in the open bore therethrough an adjustable rack member 144 with the inter-shoe heel nail clinching head 146 on the top thereof. Member 144 is adjustable in height to fit the shoe by means of a pawl member 147 which engages the teeth of the rack member 144, and which pawl is manually operable to release and relocate the member 144. Pawl 147 may be disengaged manually by hand from the teeth of the rack member 144 long enough manually to raise or lower the height of. rack member 144 by sliding same inside of the clinching housing 132 and then resetting the pawl member 147 to the newly selected position.

While I have shown and described a particular embodiment of my invention together with suggested uses thereof, this is by way of illustration only and is not .to be construed as any sort of limitation on my invention since there are alterations, substitutions, changes, eliminations, deviations, and modifications which may be made in the embodiment shown without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In an automatic nailing machine wherein selectively continuous lengths of different size wire are cut into individual nails which are driven in position in shoes or the like,

(a) a machine base having power means thereon,

(b) more than one means on said machine for receiving, transferring and cutting continuous lengths of wire into individual nails, and including means for driving said nails in place on a shoe or the like positioned on said machine,

(c) and wire supporting means on said machine =selec tively operable to support and selectively to provide more than one selected gauge of wire, whereby an operator of said machine may select the gauge of wire used.

2. In an automatic nailing machine wherein selectively continuous lengths of different size wire are cut into individual nails which are driven in position in shoes or the like,

(a) a machine base having power means thereon,

(b) means on said machine for receiving, transferring and cutting continuous lengths of wire into individual nails and including means for driving said nails in place on a shoe or the like positioned on said machine,

(0) supply means on said machine selectively providing more than one gauge of wire to be cut and driven,

(d) work supporting means for supporting Work that is nailed by said machine,

(2) and means mounting said means on said machine for receiving, transferring and cutting and driving (b) and said work supporting means (d) for relative movement therebetween, whereby an operator of said machine may select the gauge of wire used.

3. In an automatic nailing machine wherein selectively continuous lengths of different size wire are cut into individual nails which are driven in position in shoes or the like,

(a) a machine base having power means thereon,

(b) more than one means on said machine selectively for receiving, transferring and cutting a particular preselected size of a continuous length of wire into individual nails and including means for driving said nails in place on a shoe or the like positioned on said machine,

(c) work supporting means on said machine for supporting the work positioned to receive nails on said machine,

(d) means mounting said means for receiving, transferring, and cutting and driving (b) and said work supporting means (0) for relative movement therebetween, to provide more than one gauge of wire at a selected position at which the nailing occurs, whereby an operator of said machine may select the gauge of wire used.

4. In an automatic nailing machine,

(a) a base,

(b) means on said base having a drive means adapted to apply power remote from said base,

(0) a support mounted on the top of said base comprising a frame having individual wire cutting and nailing heads positioned thereon,

(d) more than one wire holding means mounted on said support and each adapted to support a quantity of different size wire, and to supply a continuous length of wire to a nailing head,

(e) and a work positioning and supporting apparatus mounted on said base beneath said support (a) and below said nailing heads,

(1) said support (c) and said work positioning and supporting apparatus (e) being mounted for relative movement with respect to each other on said machine to be shifted selectively to position one of said wire cutting and nailing heads (c) with said shoe heel positioning and work supporting apparatus (e) whereby said machine provides a plurality of choices of wire sizes, any one of which may be brought into play.

5. In an automatic nailing machine, a base, an up standing housing on said base having a drive means therein adapted to apply reciprocating power remotely from said base, a turret mounted on the top of said base comprising a frame having individual wire cutting and nailing heads positioned thereon, wire spool holding means mounted on the top of said turret, there being one for each head, and each adapted to retain a spool of wire for rotation thereon, whereby there may be different sizes of wire on each spool, means mounting said turret on said housing for rotation thereon, and a shoe heel positioning apparatus mounted on said base beneath said turret and below said nailing heads, said turret being rotatably mounted on said base to be rotated manually and shifted selectively to position one of said nailing heads in alignment with said shoe heel positioning and clinching device, whereby said machine provides a plurality of choices of wire sizes, any one of which may be brought into play by simple manipulation and rotation of the turret about the upstanding housing.

6. In an automatic nailing machine, a base, means on said base having a vertical drve means therein adapted to apply reciprocating power remotely from said base, a turret mounted on the top of said base having more than one individual wire cutting and nailing head positioned therein, wire holding means mounted on the top of said turret, there being one for each head and each adapted to retain a quantity of wire for rotation thereon, whereby there are dilferent sizes of wire for the different nailing heads positioned thereon, means mountingsaid turret on said housing for movement thereon, and a shoe heel positioning apparatus mounted on said base beneath said turret and below said nailing heads, said turret being movably mounted on said base to be shifted manually and selectively to position one of said nailing head positions in alignment with said shoe heel positioning device, whereby said machine provides a plurality of choices of wire sizes, any one of which may be brought into play by simple manipulation and rotation of the turret about the upstanding housing.

7. In an automatic nailing machine, a base, an upstanding drive means on said base adapted to apply reciprocating power remotely from said base, a turret mounted on the top of said base having more than one individual Wire cutting and nailing head positioned thereon, more than one wire holding means mounted on the top of said turret and each adapted to retain thereon a quantity of wire, whereby there are different sizes of wire for the nailing heads, means mounting said turret on said housing for movement thereon, a shoe heel positioning apparatus mounted on said base beneath said turret and below said nailing heads, and means for delivering power from said drive means to a selected head, said turret being rotatably mounted on said base to be shifted manually and selectively to position one of said nailing heads in alignment with said shoe heel positioning device, whereby said machine provides a plurality of choices of wire sizes, any one of which may be brought into play by simple manipulation and rotation of the turret about the upstanding housing.

8. In an automatic nailing machine, a base, a drive means on said base adapted to apply reciprocating power from said base, a turret mounted on the top of said base comprising a plurality of vertically spaced turret plates having individual wire cutting and nailing heads positioned therein, Wire spool holding means mounted on the top of said turret and each adapted to retain a spool of wire for rotation thereon, whereby there may be different sizes of wire on each spool, means mounting said turret on said housing for rotation thereon, and a shoe heel positioning and clinching apparatus mounted on said base beneath said turret and below said nailing heads, said turret being rotatably mounted on said base to be rotated manually and shifted selectively to position one of said nailing heads in alignment with said shoe heel positioning and clinching device, whereby said machine provides a plurality of choices of wire sizes, any one of which may be brought into play by simple manipulation and rotation of the turret about the upstanding housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,240,429 Watkins Apr. 29, 1941 2,315,382 Ajouelo Mar. 30, 1943 2,636,168 Wright Apr. 28, 1953 2,996,719 Wright Aug. 22, 1961 

1. IN AN AUTOMATIC NAILING MACHINE WHEREIN SELECTIVELY CONTINUOUS LENGTHS OF DIFFERENT SIZE WIRE ARE CUT INTO INDIVIDUAL NAILS WHICH ARE DRIVEN IN POSITION IN SHOES OR THE LIKE, (A) A MACHINE BASE HAVING POWER MEANS THEREON, (B) MORE THAN ONE MEANS ON SAID MACHINE FOR RECEIVING, TRANSFERRING AND CUTTING CONTINUOUS LENGTHS OF WIRE INTO INDIVIDUAL NAILS, AND INCLUDING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID NAILS IN PLACE ON A SHOE OR THE LIKE POSITIONED ON SAID MACHINE, (C) AND WIRE SUPPORTING MEANS ON SAID MACHINE SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TO SUPPORT AND SELECTIVELY TO PROVIDE MORE THAN ONE SELECTED GAUGE OF WIRE, WHEREBY AN OPERATOR OF SAID MACHINE MAY SELECT THE GAUGE OF WIRE USED. 